Fish-gaff.



No. 659,383. Patented ont. 9, |900.

B.' J. WARREN.

FISH GAFF.

(Application med Apr. 11, 1900.)

/'L'Tneve l'nvenor A Tn: Nonms Perews co. pHoro-urna.. wAsmNarbN, D. c.V

4 BERNARD IER'oMEwARREN, or DOVER, MAINE.

'NIT'ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FISH-GAFF.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 659,383, dated October9, 1900.

, Application filed Aprilrll, 1900` Serial No. 12,406. (No model.) d

To all whom it may concern,.-

Beit known that I, BERNARD JEROME WAR- REN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Dover, in the county of Piscataquis and State ofMaine,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fish-Gaffs;and l do herebydeclare the following to be a full,clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a fish-gah. that may be employed to spear a fishafter it has been caught on a line and drawn to lthe surface of thewater, the object thereof being to produce a simple, reliable, anddurable device'l of superior convenience that may be safely handled; andsaid invention consists of a ga comprising corresponding butoppositely-arranged spear members that are slidingly mounted andsupported for longitudinal reciprocating movement and which are adaptedto be retracted in opposite directions and automatically locked at thetermination of said rearward movement and which maybe simul# taneouslyoperated to project rapidly toward each other in a given line to allowthe spears to close together` to strike the [ish from opposite sides.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in the several views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my device shown as applied to a handleand indicating the spear members thereof in a normal closed position,While Fig. 2 represents a side elevation showing the spear members setready for operation. Fig. 3 shows in perspective a spear-member part,while Fig. 4 shows in detail a guide-block or trigger-piece.`

In a gaff characterized by my invention I preferably employ a handle A,having a iiattened side or longitudinally-depressed fiattened portion a,to which is attached, by means of clam ps B B, aslottedlongitudinallyextending supporting frame-piece D, that is shown ascomprising slotted side pieces b U, which are held in spaced parallelismby the said clamps. This frame D is adapted to provide centrally atthe'top and each side ways J J' for the reception of the guiding partsof the sliding members C. The sliding or spear :members C are formedeach to provide at lthe en d portion carrying the speara dependingsupporting arm or heel e, having a screw- -hole d and alongitudinally-projecting guide land lock arm d', that extends at rightangles are mounted within the central slot J to pre.

sent reversely-bent and in wardly--projecting .spear-blades, while thearm e is so seated Within said slot that the screw-hole d therein isadapted to register with the elongated slot J of the adjacent side pieceand that is adapted to receivea screw g', passed through said slot,which when attached as shown in Figs. .l and 2 serves-as a retaining4guide means, which allows of the longitudinal reciprocating movement ofthe spear member within the limits prescribed by the length of saidslot. When thus seated, the respective spear members present the guidingand locking arms d in a position ofparallelism and overlapping contactin the same vertical plane in order that the spear-points, which areturned toward each other, may be positively maintained when separated,as shown in Fig. 2, and may travel when brought together in a givenhorizontal line and these lever members are maintained in suchrelationship by means of the guide-block or trigger-piece T, whichnormally rests upon the top face of the frame D and which issubstantially rectangular in cross-section, as shown at g in Fig. 4, andwithin which said levers slidably fit. The piece T is provided with adepending pin lo, that is adapted to fit a corresponding hole p', thatextends downwardly into said frame at a point midway of its ends andwhich allows of the vertical movement of said block-piece when lifted ordepressed.

S S represent coiled springs that are respectively arranged inopposition to the respective spear members, one end of which is attachedto the screw g', while the other end thereof may be anchored to thescrew g, that serves to retain the clamp B'. From this construction itwill readily be seen that by the rearward extension or movement of IOOsaid members, or rather the movement ina direction ol opposition to therespective coiled springs, the arms c e thereof being loosely mountedand being subject to the force action of the respective springsnaturally turn on the heel thereof in a direction to lift or canse theupward tipping ofthe respective levers d. which latter on account oftheir frictional bearing or binding at their powerendsagainst theembracingguide-block tend to lift said block to the position shown inFig. 2 1'.. e., to a point where t-he levers have been extended to theiroutmost limits and have been tilted 11p-whereupon the in clined notchesat the free ends thereof are allowed to engage the guide-block and holdthe parts locked in the position shown in Fig. 2. 'lhe slightestpressure on either the guideblock or trigger T or the spear-arms whenthe parts are thus set in open position will release the arms, and thespears will be foreibly projected by the reacting driving-springs towardeach other and bronghtinto juxtaposition to gatf the fish.

H represents a pawl pivoted to one side of the bent-up portion of one ofthe members and that is held in operative position by a spring s,secured as shown in Fig. l, while the free end of the pawl engages withthe notched or ratchet face t on the upper edge of the adjacentlever-arm d".

From this construction it will be seen that when the spear members haveclosed together to fetter the fish the spring-controlled pawl is' throwninto engagement with the ratchetteeth to close upon the fish and preventthe escape of the fish from its im paled position.

Having described my invention, what I desire to claim as new and usefulis- In a fish-gaif, a pair of reversely-positioned spears supported forlongitudinal reciprocating movement in a frame, springs acting to movesaid spears in a closing direction, and means for automatically lockingsaid spears in an open position, combined and operating substantially asset forth.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

BERNARD JEROME WARREN.

Witnesses:

FRANCIS C. PARKS, WILLIAM T. ELLIOTT.

